When baking, sometimes its hard to keep your recipe cards clean and out of the ingredients! The obvious solution is a recipe holder, but to make it more visually appealing, I designed one in the shape of a giraffe.

The hidden secret is a binder clip glued beneath his head, which lets you clip papers in his "mouth" so he can hold them out of the food.

In this Instructable, I'll walk you through building a giraffe recipe holder, or you can tweak my design to any animal you can think of!

Step 1: Tools and Materials

You will need:

- 22 gauge steel sheet
- 1/8" diameter rivets
- Graph paper
- Acrylic paint
- Binder clip
- Epoxy for metal

Tools:
- MIG welder (you could use epoxy as a substitute)
- Notcher
- Tin snips
- Ball pein hammer
- Anvil
- Scissors
- Center punch
- Scriber
- Drill with 1/8" bit

Step 2: The Design

Using graph paper makes it easy to make a symmetrical design. I just freehanded one side of the giraffe, trying to visualize a 2D version of the 3D idea in my head, and then copied it by counting squares on the grid. I tried to draw through some corners of the grid, to make it easier to copy on the other side. Alternatively, you could draw one side, cut it out, fold it down the middle, and draw the other side. I designed a front, and a pair of legs for the back. Draw a small pair of half-circle ears, too.

Mark holes where we will put rivets through to connect the two pieces. Make sure the holes are the same distance from the bottom of the feet.

Cut out the designs to use as templates for the metal. Use a scriber tool or a sharp metal implement to transfer the outline onto the steel sheet. Use a center punch to mark the rivet holes.

Step 3: Cutting

Start by using a notcher or the tin snips to cut a rough shape around the giraffe, to remove it from the main piece of sheet metal. Once it's separate, start cutting carefully along the template outline with tin snips. Cut out the ears too.

If the metal becomes warped from the edges of the tin snips, just smooth it out on the top of the anvil with some light hammer blows.

Drill 1/8" holes where marked for the rivets.

Step 4: Smoothing and Shaping

You'll notice that the edges of the steel are quite sharp from the cutting. The easiest way to fix this is by placing the metal on the anvil and hammering around the edge, hitting it so that it flattens and rounds out and loses the sharp edges. Use a file to de-burr the sharp edges and small metal "splinters."

Once thats done, place a piece of raw leather or a thick folded cloth on the top of the anvil, and use the ball side of the hammer to being adding a small curve to the chest of the giraffe.

Use the horn of the anvil to shape the neck into a gentle curve. Use your hands to bend it into the tighter curve you want.

Step 5: Welding, Riveting and Epoxy

Welding is probably the best thing to do first. Hold an ear in a pair of pliers with the grounding clip attached to the giraffe body. Tack the ear in place from behind with the MIG gun, and if it needs more strength, tack it in front too. Repeat for Ear #2, and place two weld beads on his face for eyes.

Next, Thread the rivets through The front of the giraffe, then through the legs. Cut the rivet so ~5mm remains protruding from the metal. Using the ball side of the hammer, strike the cut end of the rivet so that it mushrooms and "peens" into a head similar to the opposite side of the rivet. Peen until it is tight and strong.

Tape or clamp the binder clip in place behind the giraffe's face. Mix up some metal-binding epoxy and generously spread it over one handle of the binder clip, surrounding it well. Wait 24 hours for it to cure.

Step 6: Painting

Layer on the acrylic paint, covering the entire piece (except the clip) with two or more coats of yellow. The metal will be visible through the paint until you have built up a few layers of paint. Next, paint brown spots on his front and back, and paint the front of his ears with a little brown. Paint his eyes black.

Let him dry, then coat him with a clear enamel spray to make the paint shine and improve durability. Be sure to tape off the clip, as the clear coat will probably chip off it when you flex it open.

Step 7: Super Cute Giraffe Complete

The final product is a ridiculously adorable Giraffe Recipe Holder that makes a great gift for the ladies (and guys) who like to bake.

IF you have any questions or comments, feel free to message me or post them below. Thanks for reading!